


In Which Dave and Karkat Become Adoptive Fathers

by ambiguousMagic



Series: Dave, Karkat, and Babies [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Adoption, Babies, Fluff, M/M, just cutesy fluffy stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-16
Updated: 2013-03-03
Packaged: 2017-11-14 08:44:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/513402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambiguousMagic/pseuds/ambiguousMagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dave has wanted to be a father for so long, and Karkat finally agrees after seeing that sometimes... kids aren't so bad.</p><p>so naturally Dave is really fricking excited.</p><p>sequel to Dave, Karkat, and the Baby!</p><p>it's a Humanstuck AU, they're 29-30ish now. u v u</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> writing these chapters is making me really happy
> 
> !!

You waited for years in the adoption craze, desperately trying to find someone around your area who was willing to give their son or daughter up to two gay men. You found an attorney who would gladly help you be the legal parents of the child you happened to get. You waited the five months it took for your baby to be born. You went through the entire process of transferring custody from the birthmother to you.  
  
You were in the hospital when she was born. You sat in the waiting room with Karkat, and he looked so nervous. He still wasn’t sure of this. He just wanted you to be completely happy.  
  
You were ecstatic. Your leg bounced impatiently the whole time you were sitting. You got up to go for coffee and snacks several times. Karkat had actually taken your cup away because you were too excited.  
  
Around 3:20 a.m. a nurse calls you back to your birthmother’s--Jackie, a very nice girl--suite. You practically bowled her over just to get to see the child that would be your’s. Jackie was holding a tiny pink bundle cradled to her chest. She looked exhausted but relieved. Karkat had followed behind you, stiff and unsure. You moved towards her slowly. She shifted and handed you the bundle.  
  
You saw her face and you were paralyzed. She was sleeping, her tiny mouth open just so slightly. Her skin was the usual newborn tan. The hair that she had was light.  
  
You couldn’t stop staring. It wasn’t until Karkat wiped your cheeks did you realize that you were crying. You silently handed her back to Jackie, a huge smile on your face.  
  
“She’s pretty,” Karkat said from beside you.  
  
You shook your head. “She’s gorgeous.”  
  
You were out of the hospital in a few days with Noel Naomie Strider-Vantas in the backseat of your car.  
  
During your adoption process you had also managed to move to a nicer apartment in the uptown part of the city. The new apartment had two bedrooms, one of which you’d furnished for Noel’s room.  
  
Managing that had also took about a year of careful saving and spending, because adoption wasn’t a low price, either. You had done it, though, and that was all that mattered.  
  
Now, you sit in Noel’s bedroom. You are twenty-nine years old. She is one year old.  
  
Noel just called you “dada.”


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck at titles and chapter titles aha
> 
> anyway, just so you know, I'm not having Dirk, Roxy, Jane, and Jake be the same people as Bro, Mom, Nana, and Grandpa.
> 
> Bro=Dean  
> Mom=Rita  
> Nana=Jill  
> Grandpa=Jase  
> and Dad=Jack
> 
> so a warning there. u v u I dunno if I'll get the alpha kids in this story, but if I do, they'll most likely be siblings/cousins of the beta kids.

“Karkat!” you call instantly. Noel looks around at the mention of his name.  
  
“What?” he yells back. His voice is coming from the kitchen/living room area.  
  
“Just get your butt in here right now!” You hear grumbling and the sound of Karkat shifting around and walking down the hallway.  
  
When Karkat walks in the door, Noel perks up.  
  
“Dada!” she exclaims, reaching for Karkat, before just getting up herself (she’s wobbly but can walk pretty well) and going to him.  
  
Karkat bends down to pick her up, looking completely astonished. You just smile. And by smile you mean really smile.  
  
“She talks?” he asks you as he sits down on the floor next to you with Noel in his lap. You nod and he just looks at her. “Is she supposed to talk right now?” You laugh a little and nod again.  
  
Karkat is still completely clueless when it comes to kids. He hasn’t even slowly learned, and he only knows the basics. He almost passed out when Noel started walking. Noel loves him, though. She likes going to him when she’s most upset. You aren’t even jealous, because they look so cute together. Your boyfriend and your baby.  
  
You lean on Karkat’s shoulder and reach out a few fingers to Noel. She takes them and examines them, as usual. She doesn’t seem to like putting things in her mouth that aren’t obviously food, even when she was teething. She does love to examine things. You gave her a few toys and a few weeks later you found them pulled apart as much as she could. You obviously threw the small parts away, just in case.  
  
Then, you hear the phone ringing, which is weird. You almost never get phone calls. You get up and help Karkat up. You pick up Noel and rush to grab the phone, which makes her laugh.  
  
“Hello?”  
  
“Hey, Lil’ Man.”  
  
You almost drop the phone. “Holy Jesus Christ, Bro?”  
  
You haven’t been in contact with your brother Dean in a long while. He’s been exploring the world in search of thrills that he can’t find at home, and his permanent place of residence is still in Texas, when you’d moved to Washington to be closer to John, Vriska, Rose, and Kanaya.  
“Who else would it be? Your little friend Egbert said you never use your phone.”  
  
“Not the house phone. I use my cell all the time.” You’re kind of freaking out, because if Bro calls it’s either an emergency or he’s coming to see you. You really hope it’s the second option.  
  
“I tried that, and I couldn’t get you. I had to call Egbert and get the number. Anyway, I also hear you have a munchkin runnin’ the place.”  
  
You smile a bit. “Yeah, her name is Noel.”  
  
“She can understand things, right?”  
  
“Yeah, why?” Noel reaches for the phone and you hold it a bit farther away.  
  
“Put the phone to her ear. I wanna tell her somethin’.”  
  
You make a face and do so, and Noel leaves it there obediently. She looks a bit confused and you put the phone back to your ear after a second.  
  
“Hello?” you ask.  
  
“Dave, I’m gonna come up there to see you guys. Rita and Jade are comin’ too.” You freeze. “I’m thinkin’ of stayin’ for a week. Sound good to you?”  
  
A bigger smile breaks out on your face. “Yeah. We can have the Egberts, Rose, and Kanaya come too, then. A giant family reunion. Sentiment all up in here like icing on a cake.”  
  
“You’re gettin’ weak with those, lil’ bro. Better practice before I get there.”  
  
You roll your eyes, but he can’t see that. “See if I care, Bro. See if I care.”  
  
You hear him chuckle. “See you in a few weeks, Dave.”  
  
He hangs up and you go back to Noel’s room. Karkat looks up expectantly. “Well?”  
  
“Bro, Jade, and Rita are coming to visit.” He nods. “I’m gonna invite the Egberts and our lesbian couple friends. Maybe it can be like Noel’s late birthday.” He nods again. You set down Noel and take out your phone to text the people who need to know. You look up after a while. “Does this mean I get to go party shopping, Karkat?”  
  
He rolls his eyes and sighs. “If you think it’s really all that necessary.”  
  
“It is.” You smirk and sit down. You put your phone away and play with Noel a bit before she gets tired. You both lay her down for a nap and decide to lay down yourselves.  
  
You both shed your pants. He puts on a pair of soft PJ bottoms that he usually reserves for just lounging around the house or sick days. You stay in your t-shirt and boxers. You climb into your bed and pull the covers up, giving each other a few quick kisses before falling asleep. There isn’t much to talk about since you live pretty much the same lives other than your jobs, which are mostly stay-at-home anyway, and you don’t mind.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY I AM REALLY REALLY SORRY FOR SUCH A SHORT AND AWFUL CHAPTER ;A;
> 
> I have had literally no inspiration to keep writing and I fell into some hard times and also school (you know, standard excuses)
> 
> if you have a Tumblr you can always check up on me there (URL is the same as my name here, ambiguousmagic) and tell me to get my butt moving or w/e u n u
> 
> I promise to update faster!!!!! I even have the other chapters all outlined I just.........can't...........word.....................

The drive to the airport two weeks later makes Noel restless, and in turn makes Karkat restless. He hasn’t really grasped the idea of patience. Now that you think about it, he’s never grasped the idea of patience. He doesn’t even try to grasp it.  
  
You spend your time calming both of them down. You don’t have the time to calm yourself down. Which results in an impressively embarrassing hug from your bro when you see him.  
  
“Hey, Lil’ Man!” he calls to you. You walk forward stiffly as he reaches out for a hug. You walk to him and hug him. Your limbs are too stiff and he must have noticed because he chuckles and pulls away. “You alright?”  
  
You nod and move back to Karkat, who is holding Noel. Bro nods to Karkat, and Karkat nods back. Bro moves forward now, reaching out for Noel. Karkat hands her to him and Bro actually smiles. “So, this baby have the Strider name or the Vantas name?”  
  
“Both,” you hear Karkat say. “Noel Strider-Vantas.”  
  
Bro hums in approval. Noel looks into his face for a moment before reaching up and taking off his shades. He isn’t as light-sensitive as you are, so he just laughs. “She wants to be as cool as her Uncle Dean, huh?” He reaches and grabs his shades back before reaching into the front pocket of his shirt to grab something.  
  
And that something is a small Lil Cal doll.  
  
Oh hell no.  
  
You swipe it from him right away and proceed to dispose of it in a nearby garbage can before Noel can even get her little hands on it. Your bro starts laughing. He teases you about it the entire way home.  
  
When you all get home, Bro immediately crashes on your couch. You put Noel down for a nap.  
  
You find Karkat in your bedroom. He’s curled up under the blankets, and you take the opportunity to sneak up on him.  
  
By ‘sneak up on him’ you totally mean ‘jump on him and tickle him.’  
  
So, you do. You hands fly to his sides and your fingers move frantically. He yells and kicks out. You end up with a fist to your face and a few kicks landed to your stomach.  
  
You give it up and laugh. He flicks you on the nose and takes your shades. When you open your eyes again, the lighting is safe and... Karkat doesn’t look too happy. Oops.  
  
“What the fuck was that?” You smile and shrug. “And of course you can’t even give me an answer. Has the whole reunion with your oldest brother fried your brain? Don’t make me have to take you in. ‘What’s wrong with him?’ ‘Oh, he just saw his older brother and his brain just fucking exploded.’”  
  
You kiss him. He pushes you away. You give him a look, and he drags you back to him.  
  
The kiss lasts a while, getting deeper slowly and gently. You’re about to pull Karkat on top of you when you’re suddenly reminded that your big brother is sleeping on the couch and has the tendency to check on you unexpectedly, even though you’re an adult who is practically married and has a kid.  
  
You break the kiss and push a bit away. Karkat glares at you.  
  
“The fuck is wrong with you?” he asks.  
  
You sigh. “Sorry, babe. My brother’s out there.”  
  
“And?” he asks you. His hands are moving up and down your arms and chest now, and you know that you haven’t done much in a while but you just can’t. He might spring Cal on you or something.  
  
“He just might walk in or... something...” You shudder. Karkat sighs in exasperation, but complies. You give him apology kisses and smile at him. “Wanna turn on a movie and improvise what they’re saying?” He gives a small smile and nods, your cue to get off the bed and put in a movie-- _Haunted Mansion_ this time--and plop back down on the bed next to him. You really do love having a TV in your room now, so you don’t have to make the walks back and forth from your room to the living room when you want to watch movies.  
  
You press play on the remote when the title screen comes up and kiss him again. Your arm goes around his shoulders and his arm goes around your waist. He cuddles up to your side and puts his head on your shoulder; you remove your arm for a bit to pet his head before putting it back.  
The movie starts. Karkat takes up the roles of the mom and the son, you take up the role of the dad and the daughter, and you add roles as you see them. Soon enough the two of you are laughing and pushing each other around. By the end of the movie, when the ghost of the dead chick comes back and looks beautiful and shit, Karkat is fast asleep against your side. Your entire arm is asleep, but you don’t want to wake him up, so you end up falling asleep with a sleeping arm and the credits of the movie playing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look what I did at 2 in the morning aha
> 
> do I even have readers anymore? I think they all left.
> 
> here you go readers. or lack there of.

You wake up and immediately remove your arm from Karkat’s shoulder and start frantically shaking it out. It hurts and tingles and oh shit Karkat’s awake too hi there wow.  
  
He starts laughing at you and you try to hit him but the arm closest to him is still tingly. He gets up, though, and you pull him back down. You kiss him and tuck him in again.  
  
“Stay. I’m gonna go early-morning party shopping with Bro and Noel. You just stay in bed and rest, okay?” He nods.  
  
He’s been working his butt off lately and last night was probably some of the best rest he’s had in awhile. You get dressed (accompanied by half-hearted wolf whistles from the boy in the bed) and exit the room with your keys and wallet, leaving Karkat with a kiss.  
  
You go into Noel’s room and see that she’s patiently waiting for you in her crib. She smiles at you and you smile at her in turn. “G’mornin’ Noel,” you say as you lift her out of the crib. You pick out and outfit and dress her before brushing her hair and putting it into two little blonde pigtails. You give her an eskimo kiss and head out to the living room.  
  
You kick the couch and tell Bro to get up, and he grumbles but gets up anyway. You toss him his jacket and go out to your car to get Noel strapped in. Bro comes out in about ten minutes and gets into the car.  
  
The drive to the store is uneventful, besides the fact that Bro turns on all the stations that Karkat has designated “Do Not Let Noel Listen to These Under Any Circumstances.”  
  
When you do get to the store, you immediately put Noel into the front of the cart near you. You send Bro off to get food stuffs (you tell him to get Betty Crocker cake stuff and to stay under $10) and then go to the birthday aisle with Noel.  
  
You tell Noel to point at the things she wants for her party after giving her a wide selection of things she’ll need--you group plates and things together and so on--and you end up with pink plates, Avengers napkins, white cups, clear silverware, and Spiderman party favors. Noel also insists on holding the napkins and pointing to the characters on them for you to identify.  
  
You find Bro in the baking supplies aisle with vanilla cake mix, chocolate frosting, and a package of generic pink candles. Noel also insists on holding the candles.  
  
Soon, you’ve all loaded up the car and have headed back home.  
  
When you get back home Karkat is sitting on the couch and watching reality TV shows (he’s so addicted to Dance Moms and he won’t admit it.) You hold up the bags in triumph and walk over to him to kiss his forehead before smiling. “We have a birthday party to throw, Babe,” you tell him and dump out the contents of the bags at his feet.  
  
He sighs in exasperation. “So you dump everything out? We need to get this shit up before 2.” You glance at the clock. It’s 1. Oh.  
  
You smile wider. “You can play housewife and bake the cake and I’ll decorate with Noel?” Karkat sighs again but nods. You give him a kiss. “Love you.”  
  
“Love you, too,” he says before hauling himself up and grabbing the cake supplies and the candles from the floor. He heads into the kitchen.  
  
You help Bro get Noel out of her jacket and grab the plates, silverware, and napkins from the pile on the floor. “Ready to help, Noel?” you ask her. She nods excitedly. You hand her the napkins. “Okay, you hold those,” you tell her. “Who’s gonna be coming to Noel’s party?”  
  
“Gampa Bo!” she says excitedly. You nod and laugh softly. “An Aunie Kanana an Aunie Wosie!” You ruffle her hair and she huffs, reaching up to fix her pigtails.  
  
“Are you a fashionista like Auntie Kanaya, Noel?” you ask her while setting out the plates on the dinner table.  
  
“Yeah yeah!” she says and strikes a pose.  
  
You smile and bend down to her level. “Well, guess what? Auntie Jade and Grandma Rita are gonna be here, too. And so are Uncle John and Auntie Vriska with Casey.” Noel smiles widely and jumps up and down, without succeeding. She falls backwards and lands on her butt. She pouts and you pick her up. “You okay, Squirt?”  
  
She shakes her head and pouts more.   
  
“Are we gonna have to do surgery?” you ask with a smile. She smiles slightly and shakes her head. “Karkat, get the scalpel! We have to do an immediate operation!” Karkat smiles at the two of you from the kitchen, but goes back to mixing the cake. Noel reaches up to take your shades and you hold up a hand to stop her. “Not right now, Noel. It’s too bright for Daddy right now.”  
  
Noel pouts again but doesn’t try to take them again. The room is way too bright right now to have those off.  
  
You set out the napkins and the silverware with Noel quickly and watch as Karkat puts the cake in the oven. Then, you all sit on the couch and watch Karkat’s shows (ugh) until he has to get the cake out and frost it, at which point you rush to change the channel.  
  
Soon after that, Rita and Jade arrive. Rita was sent with Jade two years ago to sober up and explore the island. Once she was completely sober, she served to keep Jade safe and in turn have Jade there to keep her safe and so on.  
  
Noel hugs both of them and you and Karkat both get huge hugs from Jade. Rita takes some of the frosting from the cake and gets a slap on the hand from Karkat for doing so.  
  
The next to arrive are the Egberts--being John, Vriska, and Casey. You fistbump John and wave to Vriska before setting Noel near Casey. Casey waves and so does Noel. Casey smiles and the two of them run off to play. (Okay, Noel doesn’t run. She crawls really fast.)  
  
Finally, Rose and Kanaya arrive, fashionably late. (Ha ha) You give Rose a hug and watch Kanaya and Karkat share one of their long hugs. He doesn’t hug you like that, and you feel a bit jealous, but you know they’ve been best friends since forever.  
  
Once you’ve all settled, you pull out the cake. Everyone gathers around the table, and you light the candles. Both you and Karkat have to help Noel blow them out, but everyone claps anyway. You watch Noel make a total mess of herself with her piece of cake in her high chair, as it is supposedly tradition on baby’s first birthday. You take tons of pictures, Rita stays sober, and John gets pissed that the only snack you offer is a totally Betty-Crocker-ified cake.  
  
You clean Noel up and the entire group sits down and watches movies until John and Vriska say it’s time to go so they can get Casey to bed. You give hugs and Casey gives Noel a bunny toy before they leave.  
  
Rita, Jade, Kanaya, and Rose end up staying the night, with Rita and Jade having to fly out early in the morning. Kanaya and Rose stay to keep their usual tabs on you.  
  
Eventually, Karkat ends up laying next to you in bed. It’s midnight. You give him a kiss, though he’s already fast asleep. You smile and drift off yourself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You wake up in the morning and look around. Karkat’s still fast asleep, your shades are on the other side of the night stand for some odd reason, but you are fully clothed. You passed out unaware of your clothing situation, so it was good to see the mystery resolved.  
You get up carefully and decide to let Karkat sleep. He’s just been so tired, you literally do not have the heart to even wish to wake him up. God, you are so in love with him.  
  
You walk out to the living room to see that Kanaya, Rose, Rita, Jade, Noel, and Bro are already all awake and dressed. The four girls that are not your daughter hug you with you hugging back in a tired haze.  
  
“We must depart for the time being, Dave. My mother and Jade have a plane to catch, and Kanaya and I wish to have a women-only couple day with each other. Bid Karkat a goodbye for all of us. We don’t wish to wake him.” Rose kisses your cheek and all the girls are out the door (save for Noel of course.) Girls are weird.  
  
You sit down next to Bro on the floor in front of the TV with the couch that contains Noel behind you. Noel begins playing with your hair, and Bro takes his eyes off Castle in the Sky to turn to you.  
  
“Sleep well, kiddo?” he asks you. You shrug. He smirks. “Abstinent until married?” he teases.  
  
You punch him in the arm. “We just don’t want to do anything with you being around,” you admit.  
  
He gives you a look. “I’m not gonna stop you from doing something with your boyfriend, Dave. Jesus, you’re almost thirty already. You’re responsible. If you guys do somethin’ I’m not gonna drop in like ‘y’all need anything? Juice, a condom?’ That’s just rude.”  
  
You punch him again, this time lighter.  
  
“Why haven’t you married him yet, Dave?” he asks you. To be honest, you have no clue, and you tell Bro that. “Well, you should. When you’re ready. It’s like you two were made for each other. Strider and Vantas--it was written in the stars.”  
  
You laugh at that, but fall quiet. “I guess... I would like to be officially his... Not just with these rings.” You hold up your hand to see the ring.  
  
“Want me to cover for you while you make a call?” Bro asks, quite seriously. You pause a moment before nodding.  
  
You get up and grab your phone, jacket, and shoes. You head outside and dial a number you haven’t called since Christmas.  
  
“Hello?” a rough voice answers.  
  
“Hey, Mr. Vantas. It’s Dave,” you say, a slight shake in your voice that you hope do whatever is out there he didn’t hear.”  
  
“Ah, I see. Whadya want?” Mr. Vantas is blunt and condescending, but not that bad once he gets to know you.  
  
“I, uh, have a serious question to ask.”  
  
“Is it about Karkat?”  
  
“It’s all about him... I... would like to ask you if I could marry him, please.” There’s a silence at the other end of the line, so you just ramble to fill it. “He’s the love of my life, Mr. Vantas. I mean that completely seriously. We’ve been together for seven years now, and I know we have those rings I gave him five years ago but I want more. I want to know he’s mine and I’m his and... we have Noel now, too, and it’d be better for her if we were bonded like that--”  
  
Mr. Vantas cuts you off. “I thought it would be the other way around with him. Calling a girl’s father for her hand... I understand, Dave. Just treat him right.”  
  
Your heart swells and your nervousness builds. “Thank you so much, Mr. Vantas. You don’t even know.” You say your respective goodbyes and you head back into the house.  
  
Bro looks at you questioningly as you take your place again, and you nod. He smiles and gives you a fist bump.  
  
A few minutes later, Karkat stumbles in. He’s still exhausted, you can tell. He sits on the couch next to Noel. She climbs in his lap. He pokes you in the head and you look up at him.  
  
“Make me some food,” he demands sleepily. You laugh and turn around. You take his hand and kiss it.  
  
“Yes, your highness.”  
  
He rolls his eyes and scoffs at you as you get up and make your way to the kitchen. You get out a carton of eggs from the refrigerator and a pan from a cupboard. You set the pan on the stove on medium heat and crack three eggs into the pan.  
  
Karkat comes up from behind you when you flip the eggs and wraps his arms around your waist, his face pressed into your upper back.  
  
“I’m tired,” he mumbles.  
  
You put the three finished eggs on a plate and turn around to hand it to him. He takes it and reaches up to kiss you.  
  
“I have a plan,” you say to him. “You, Bro, and Noel stay here this morning and rest. I’m gonna go on a little shopping adventure really quick, kay? And then later tonight we can leave Bro and Noel here and go somewhere nice.” He looks at you questioningly but nods.  
  
You make Bro, Noel, and yourself a plate of eggs as well. After you’re all finished, you get properly dressed and bid the three in the livingroom goodbye before heading out.  
  
You get in the car and become totally consumed in a nervous, jittery excitement. You drive into the city, music blasting over the car’s stereo.  
  
You stop at five jewelery stores that day, each one either not having the right ring or not giving you good service after you explaining that no, the engagement ring isn’t for a woman, it was for a man. Finally, one at the far edge of the city gives you agreeable service and the most perfect ring you’ve ever seen. It wasn’t too fancy, just a small, silver band. The most striking part was a pattern of tiny rubies running along the middle of the ring. You payed for it and hurried home.  
  
You found Karkat watching TV when you got home. You kept the ring in your front jeans pocket, hoping he wouldn’t see it. You gave him a kiss. “Noel napping?” you asked him.  
  
He shook his head. “Your brother’s in her room with her, playing dolls.” You laughed and shook your head.   
  
“Wanna get ready, Karkles? I’m just gonna go in and clear it that we’re leaving again with Bro and Noel.” Karkat nods and goes to get dressed. You peek your head into Noel’s room. Bro is, indeed, playing dolls with her. “Hey you two. We’re gonna be leaving, alright?”  
  
“Where goin’, Daddy?” Noel asks you.  
  
“Daddy Dave and Daddy Karkat are gonna go out for a daddies only night, okay?” you bend down to her level. “We’ll be back. You get to stay and play with Uncle Dean.”  
  
Noel thinks it over and nods. “Okay!” She goes back to playing and you smile. Bro nods at you and you take a deep breath.  
  
Karkat is waiting for you in the front hallway with his jacket and shoes on. You take his hand and lead him out to the car.  
  
“Where the fuck are we going anyway?” he asks you.  
  
“I was thinkin’ we could take a walk or somethin...” So you don’t even go to the car. You start walking to a park that isn’t too far from your house.  
  
On the way there, you don’t really talk much, considering you run pretty similar lives. Karkat tells you a little bit of what’s going on at the office he works at, you tell him a bit of how your self-insertion into the music business is going, though he already pretty much knows.  
  
You reach the park and you take his hand and lead him off, thinking you should get it over with in case you melt into a puddle of Dave Strider.  
  
You find a patch of ground that isn’t wet or covered in snow.  
  
“Okay, just... stand there for a second,” you tell him. He looks confused, but does it anyway. You exhale nervously. “Okay, so, uh. We’ve been together for seven years now... and we have a kid and a house of our own and we’re adults and we just... click. And now I know we did that thing with the rings and the not needing to get married but I just-- Dammit!” You abruptly get down on one knee and take the ring box out of your pocket. “Karkat Vantas, wanna be mine?”  
  
Karkat just stands there for a second. His skin seems to go pale, which is weird because he’s always tan. For a brief moment you think he’s going to collapse. And then he fucking tackles you right to the ground and attacks you with kisses.  
  
He pulls away when air is a critical thing. “You bet your ass that I want to marry you, you stupid assho **le.”**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wOW THIS TOOK WAY TOO LONG I'M SORRY
> 
> can you tell when I rush at the end of the chapter

You.  
  
Are.  
  
So.  
  
Fucking.  
  
 _Happy._  
  
You and Karkat decide to go to a semi-fancy restaurant after cuddling behind a few trees for a while. You sit across from each other and do that cheesey thing where you stare into each other’s eyes for forever and you don’t look away until the waitress comes along and asks you if you’d like anything to drink.  
  
You both just get water, not wanting to get alcohol in case you end up getting too intoxicated to remember your way home. You just share a plate of pasta with cheese sauce so the meal would be cheaper and so you wouldn’t have to take home leftovers.  
  
After you’re done eating, you do end up stopping at a local liquor store to get a cheap bottle of wine. Karkat can’t really drink much of it, but he can have at least a bit of it.  
  
You two eventually decide to not go home that night and rent a room at a local motel. It isn’t exactly romantic, but it’s private and cheap. You call Bro and tell him, and he gives you a mental bro fist before hanging up.  
  
You two crash through the door to your motel room, and you slam Karkat against it. Your mouth goes right to his in an instant. His hands slide up your sides, bringing your shirt along with them. You two break the kiss momentarily while he slips your shirt above your head as you do the same or him. Your shirts are thrown to the corner of the room as you continue to explore each other and reconnect your mouths.  
  
After a while, Karkat seems to get tired of the door, and pushes you toward the bed.  
  
*~*~*~*(I’m sorry this writer is unable to smut)*~*~*~*  
  
You wake up, and Karkat isn’t there. That fact makes you jump straight out of bed and frantically search for him.  
  
You check your phone first; nothing. You look in the bathroom of your motel room, which turns up nothing. You dress yourself in the clothes you wore last night, your coat, and your gloves. and look in the breakfast bar room of the motel and the lobby, nothing. You’re about to go back to your room when you finally see him, walking with a bag in his hand on the sidewalk toward your room. You run up to him.  
  
“Karkat! Where the fuck were you?” You grab the arm that isn’t holding the bag, not rough enough to hurt, but enough to turn him toward you.  
  
“I just went to get some food. Calm the fuck down.”  
  
“I was worried about you!” you shout.  
  
“Like anything would happen,” he shouts back at you. “All I did was walk to the gas station at the end of the block and buy a few snacks!”  
  
“Well, I woke up to you not there, no note, no message on my phone, nothing!” Your voice cracks a bit, but your face hardens.   
  
“Nothing happened! Nothing would happen! You’re being paranoid, Dave.” He pushes past you. “Grab your shit. Let’s go home.” Thing is, you don’t have anything to grab really, since you grabbed it all when you left, so Karkat comes out looking pissy and hands you the card for the room. “Check us out,” he says bluntly and starts walking home.  
  
You do check the two of you out. You think the receptionist notices your pissy mood, but you don’t care at all. After that, you also begin walking home. It’s fucking cold outside. You kind of regret yelling at Karkat and making him storm off like that. You’d have someone to cuddle with while walking home.  
  
You sigh and bury your face in your jacket as best as you can. You really do fuck things up a lot, don’t you?  
  
Suddenly, you hear “Call Me Maybe” playing from your pocket. You take off one of your gloves and take the phone out of your pocket.  
  
 _New text from KARKITTEN._  
  
 _DAVE. NOEL IS SICK. SHE HAS A HIGH TEMPERATURE._  
  
Well shit.  
  
This is the point where you start running home, phone still in your hand. You almost run into a man carrying two grocery bags and a woman talking on her cell phone. You yell back apologies for doing so as you run.  
  
When you finally get to your apartment and get through the door, your shoes are soaking wet from catching snow in them. Karkat is sitting with Noel on the couch. She’s sleeping, but you can see that her face is red and her hair is matted to her forehead with sweat. You can also tell her breathing is faster and that it’s not because she’s laying on Karkat’s chest. Karkat doesn’t look up at you when you walk in, but Bro does.  
  
“She was playing normally just a while before Karkat got here,” he says to you. You nod at him and go to take Noel from Karkat. She’s extremely warm to you and that worries you even more.  
  
You begin to dress her in her coat. “We’re going to the hospital,” you state. Neither Karkat or Bro question you. You are the protective father. You are the worried, protective father, and your Noel isn’t the way she’s supposed to be and that has you almost shaking.  
  
All four of you are loaded up in the car in about five minutes. You admit, you drive like a maniac, but your legs are literally shaking now and Bro has his hand on your shoulder from where he’s sitting behind you in the back seat and a little voice in the back of your head says he knows what to do, but he wants you to figure that out for yourself. You hear Karkat’s voice speaking quietly into his phone─to the people at the hospital─while he strokes Noel’s hair gently.  
  
You finally reach the hospital after what seems like a four-hour-long drive, though in reality it’s only been fifteen minutes. You’re out of the car with Noel in your arms in a matter of seconds. Bro and Karkat are out of the car right after you and follow you as you practically run into the hospital’s urgent care entrance. Karkat checks Noel in while you sit there and cradle her. Karkat sits two chairs away from you, so Bro sits in between the two of you. When they call Noel’s name, you jump up and almost run through the doors. Bro stays behind.  
  
The doctor does a pretty basic check up on her, taking her temperature and asking questions. At the end, he smiles, which calms you down a lot.  
  
“She just has a basic fever,” he says in a calming voice. “Just give her some Tylenol every four to six hours, make sure she gets plenty of rest and fluids, and make sure she isn’t too hot or too cold. It’s most likely just a common bug. It is winter, after all.” You visibly relax and smile a bit at the doctor.  
  
“Thank you so much,” you tell him. The doctor nods and leaves the room. You pick up Noel, who is now wide awake, and go to the waiting room. Bro helps you get her dressed while Karkat stands there awkwardly. Then, the four of you go out to the car. Noel falls asleep when you put her in her carseat.  
  
Karkat sits up front with you this time around. About five minutes into your drive, he takes a hold of the hand that isn’t on the steering wheel. “I’m sorry,” he mutters.  
  
You smile. “Me too.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ssssssssssssssuper short short short shorty short chapter I'm sorry ;;
> 
> two more chapters of this and then I think I'm gonna take a break from writing DaveKat for a while... I might start something with another pairing, who knows. the next chapter should be up soon, hopefully... honestly I need to put myself on a schedule or something jeez.

The next year of your life is pretty damn amazing, if you do say yourself. Which you do. Your life is just all-out amazing.  
  
Bro leaves for Texas again two days later. You’re able to return his hug this time, and even Karkat gets a hug from your older brother. Noel, now over her fever, gets her own pair of dumb, pointy anime shades. You don’t sit to watch Bro’s plane fly away. Not only because it would be pretty impossible to tell which one was his, but because you think you might get emotional. Which is a big thing to admit considering you’re you.  
  
The next few months are almost uneventful, normal life. Rose and Kanaya make frequent visits, John and Vriska bring Casey over for play dates when Casey isn’t in school. You and Karkat actually make a little extra money from these play dates because John had started paying you to watch Casey.  
  
You celebrate Karkat’s 30th birthday with a weekend away at a fancy hotel. The two of you barely leave your room, finding the comfort of each other, each other’s bodies, and the poshness of the hotel room to be much better than the outside world.  
  
After his birthday, though, Karkat starts to frequent Kanaya’s house. And you know the exact reason why. ****  
  
Kanaya and Karkat have started to plan your wedding.  
  
Karkat occasionally gives you little details, such as the location or the color scheme. Really, you don’t think that it should be that secret to you, since you are a major part of this wedding, but Karkat and Kanaya seem determined to hole themselves up on their own and plan every single facet of the whole ordeal.  
  
You get to spend a lot of time with Noel, though. She seems to be as excited as you are about all of this. You admire her calmness about it, because quite frankly you are falling apart in nervousness because...  
  
Wow you’re finally going to be Karkat’s. It took you guys years to just be able to stand each other, let alone get into a relationship. Gradually, the two of you settled down with each other and became close friends and even closer until you two were holding hands and kissing and everything was so perfect and everything is still perfect.  
  
You consider every single kiss, every single fight, every single word passed between you two, every single moment with Noel, every single hour that you’ve spent in each other’s arms to be perfect.  
  
After Karkat and Kanaya have finished planning every single detail, things get even more perfect. You spend a lot of quality time with your fiance and your child. You watch movies and make art projects and you even convince Karkat to come with you, Kanaya, and Noel to go clothes shopping.  
  
You and Karkat spend many hours cuddling, more than usual it would seem. Karkat seems to love it much more.  
  
Everything seems to come together for you. You start alerting your friends and family about the wedding date, sending out the invitations that Kanaya had ordered (holy shit how did it cost that much for some fancy paper). Bro says he booked a flight, Rita and Jade say they'll be there a few days beforehand. Karkat's dad and brother even decide to come, which you never thought would happen.  
  
And soon you find yourself staring at the ceiling at 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning, the sun shining through your window onto your chest and the empty other side of the bed. Karkat had stayed with Rose and Kanaya. For a specific reason.  
  
Sitting up, you turn to stare at the suit bag in the corner of your room. It rests casually on a chair.  
  
You’re getting married today.


	8. Chapter 8

The park you’re in is beautiful in the summer, and the sun is actually shining, though it gets extremely hot in your tuxedo because of that. A few rows of unusually ornate folding chairs separated by a light grey aisle decorate the park. The ends of the rows of chairs are decorated with large bows of iridescent chiffon-like fabric. The entire area is covered in arrangements of red and white flowers, ranging from roses to jasmine.  
  
You’re standing away from the main area, which is now filling up with members of yours and Karkat’s families and friends. Missing from that friend list is Kanaya, Rose, Sollux, and John, who would be the only ones attending you and Karkat up the aisle (holy shit that’s a thing that’s happening) besides Casey, Noel, and your officiant, which happens to be one of Karkat’s uncles. Karkat’s dad and Bro take up two seats in the front two rows and the rest of your small crowd places themselves around them.   
  
A hand pats your shoulder, making you jump and stumble backwards. Rose smiles at you from over your shoulder.  
  
“Are you ready for this, Dave?” she asks you. You give a small nod. Karkat’s uncle gives the cue that he’ll be moving to the area before he goes and begins greeting your small collection of guests. You hear his voice clear even from where you’re standing. You hear a small shuffling to your left side and turn to see Karkat coming up beside you and taking your hand. You give his a squeeze and smile at him, to which he offers a weak smile in return. His tuxedo is a bit ruffled, which you know irritated Kanaya, but you think he looks perfect. His hair had also refused to cooperate, so it sits as a shaggy mess as it usually is.  
  
Music begins to play from the keyboard brought to the park for John’s dad to play your march and exit music. You watch as Sollux and John walk, though the two of them had protested against walking the aisle together, you insisted that Rose and Kanaya be together as the “maids of honor.” Rose and Kanaya follow a few beats afterward. Casey guides Noel, the ring bearer and the flower girl, respectively. You find yourself guiding Karkat to the end of the aisle, where you can both see your families and friends staring at you from their seats and positions, even John’s Dad. Karkat nudges you when your beat starts, and your foot steps forward seemingly of its own accord.  
  
Karkat holds tight to your hand as you two slowly make your way up the aisle. Your gaze is on the friends and family in the front, with Rose, John, and Noel on the right and Kanaya, Sollux, and Casey on the left. Rose gives you a comforting smile as you see Kanaya do the same for Karkat. You reach the end of the aisle and release Karkat’s hand. You face Karkat’s uncle as he begins to speak.  
  
You blank out for most of the ceremony. You keep remembering moments with Karkat, like when you’d shared your first kiss. You were two kids fresh out of college, just getting places of your own, in a new relationship and new situations. You’d gotten your first job and Karkat was going for an interview for his. Your celebration was a cheap dinner and a cheap bottle of wine and the first time you’d kissed anyone since high school.  
  
Or the afterglow of your first time together, when you’d first told Karkat that you really loved him and played with the little ring you’d given him. Karkat had told you he felt the same and you exchanged kisses until you fell asleep with your foreheads pressed together.  
  
All those little arguments and times of peace and the discussions of the future and getting Noel all lead up to the moment you were in, watching as Karkat’s father gives his blessing and speaks on the behalf of your own parents. You listen as Karkat said his part of the vows and you repeat them before finally, oh god finally, Karkat’s uncle utters the words “You may kiss each other,” and you legitimately dip Karkat and kiss him full-on as his arms wrap around your neck to support himself and he kisses back and  
  
You are  _married_.  
  
At your reception, you and Karkat danc to a song that John and Rose had recorded for you. You and your brother take turns DJing and dancing, drinking and laughing and taking cheesey pictures because screw wedding photography. You and Karkat cut the cake together and you shove your forkful into his face, not necessarily his mouth, so he does the same to you. Vriska and John take turns banging their forks against their glasses to make the two of you kiss as payback for doing so at their wedding.  
  
Finally, the two of you change into different clothes and grab the suitcases packed for you by Kanaya to head to your honeymoon location, which was just a cabin in a park a little more south than where you lived. Noel would be staying with Kanaya and Rose for the week that you’d be gone. You two all but sprint to the car to avoid the rice being pelted at you from both sides, some scarily on target courtesy of your brother. You jump into the car to avoid any more of the grain.  
  
You look over to Karkat and he’s smiling genuinely in a way you haven’t seen him do before and you just lean over and kiss him. As you part, you whisper “I love you” so desperately into his ear and he says “I know” and everything is just so  
  
 _fucking_  
  
 _perfect_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END OMG
> 
> I'm just
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you guys are happy with that ending because it's 5 a.m. and my cat is meowing at me to go to bed


End file.
